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The social network aims to take friction out of finding work by letting people all over the world submit job applications on its pages.

The news: Facebook says that starting today, people in 40 countries will be able to seek work—or employees—on a new part of the network it calls (wait for it) Jobs. It’s aimed at smaller, local businesses that might be looking for, say, retail assistants or restaurant waiters.

Seeking work: People sift through roles in the Jobs marketplace or are notified of them via alerts. Applications can be auto-filled from someone’s profile, or people can edit them before submitting. Facebook says recruiters only see an applicant’s public profile.

Finding staff: Recruiters post jobs on the site. This is where Facebook can make money: Gaurav Dosi, its Jobs manager, says that companies can pay to boost ads so that they appear on people’s news feeds.

IM interviews: If an employer is interested, prepare for a new twist on the job hunt: chatting via Messenger with a prospective boss to check in about details, arrange interviews, or whatever. Some conversations could result in employment.

And … is Facebook using it to find talent? Dosi says it plans to, in the near future.

Jamie CondliffeI’m the editor of news and commentary for MIT Technology Review. I put together our daily e-mail newsletter, The Download, from my base in London before everyone in the U.S. manages to wake up. I previously worked at New Scientist and Gizmodo, and I hold a PhD in engineering science from Oxford University.

Jamie CondliffeI’m the editor of news and commentary for MIT Technology Review. I put together our daily e-mail newsletter, The Download, from my base in London before everyone in the U.S. manages to wake up. I previously worked at New Scientist and Gizmodo, and I hold a PhD in engineering science from Oxford University.

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